Tunisian, German officials hold talks on Libyan crisis

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) – The Libyan dossier was at the heart of talks between the Tunisian authorities and the German minister of foreign affairs, Heiku Maas, who is on a North African tour as he resets the Berlin Conference to find a lasting solution to the Libyan crisis.

The talks between Mr Maas and the new Tunisian president Kais Saied, who received him at the Carthage Palace, focused mainly on preparations for the of the Conference, as Germany carries out consultations with several countries for a solution that takes into consideration the interests of Libyans.

The conference, initially scheduled for October or November, is now being fixed for December.

A communiqué issued by the Tunisian presidency said at the end of the talks, the German minister announced that he handed an invitation to the Tunisian president to take part in the Berlin conference.

On their bilateral relations, president Saied called for more cooperation with Germany and also with the European Union.

He said Tunisia wishes to benefit from German experience in the domains of governance and transparency, the fight against corruption, investment and strengthening of scientific cooperation.

The German foreign minister also held talks with his Tunisian counterpart, Khameis Jhinaoui, on the Libyan dossier.

"The Libyan dossier is essential and important for Tunisia, seeing its influence on Tunisia’s political, economic and social situation, which makes it imperative that Tunisia will attend all meetings on the examination of the Libyan crisis," added Mr Jhinaoui in a joint news conference with his German counterpart.

Mr. Maas pointed out that all initiatives taken so far on the Libyan crisis have not yielded a solution.

-0- PANA YY/IN/BEH/MSA/MA 28Oct2019